Schlitterbahn’s Kansas City project in home stretch

New Braunfels-based Schlitterbahn Waterparks is well on its way to having its most ambitious theme park project completed. Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, a $750 million, 370-acre year-round tourist destination being constructed in Kansas City, Kansas, is scheduled to open the summer of 2009.

And the price tag has risen substantially. When first unveiled in September 2005, it was described as a $300 million, 300-acre project.

This week, Schlitterbahn announced construction was underway on the Torrent Tidal Wave in the 40-acre Water Resort portion of the park. An artificial river powered by a 25,000 gallon, 20-foot-wide wave that races through 1,620 feet of waterway, it’s described as the longest attraction of its kind in the world.

Schlitterbahn Vacation Village is all connected by a Transportainment River System – a series of manmade rivers that carry guests between lodging, the Water Resort, shops and restaurants.